Bottle cap



I. L. WILCOX BOTTLE CAP Jan. 20, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 14, 1957 INVENTOR. Isaac L; Wilcox BY 6 ti orne United States Fatent BOTTLE CAP Isaac L. Wilcox, Fulton, N.

Application March 14, 1957, Serial No. 646,036

4 Claims. (Cl. 215-41) This invention relates to bottle caps and more particularly to the caps for application to bottles having an exernal bead at the top thereof, such as milk bottles for example.

The invention has as an object a cap particularly economical to produce and which may be applied to bottles by conventional cap applying head mechanisms now available and the cap, when applied having a skirt portion snugly encircling the bottle head to provide complete sanitary protection thereto and whereby the cap is eifectively retained on the bottle top against displacement therefrom.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a bottle cap embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the cap.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the cap.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of two of the caps arranged in nested or stacked formation. Figure 5 is an enlarged elevational view of the top portion of the bottle showing the cap applied thereto, with a portion of the cap and the bottle shown in section.

Figure 6 is a greatly enlarged view taken on line 6-6,

Figure 1, showing the formation of the flutes in the skirt portion of the cap.

The cap is formed by being moulded from sheet plastic material and consists of a top discoidal portion 10 having a depending conical skirt 11 which terminates at its lower edge in a radial flange 12 extending outwardly. The cap is intended for application to a bottle top formed with an external head 13 at the top thereof, and the flange 12 is positioned downwardly from the discoidal portion it so that the flange is adapted to be positioned under the bead 13, as shown in Figure 5.

The skirt 11 is formed with a multiplicity of vertically extending ribs or flutes 14. These flutes are of small dimension and are spaced relatively close together and terminate at their upper ends in spaced relation to the discoidal portion 10, and at their lower ends the flutes terminate in spaced relation to the flange 12, providing an unfluted area 15. The flutes 14 in the intermediate portion of the skirt provide excess material to permit expansion of that area of the skirt for conformance to the bead 13.

The skirt 11 is initially formed with a diameter less than the diameter of the bead 13 whereby, upon application of the cap to the bottle top, the fluted portion of the skirt is expanded and conforms snugly to the bottle bead 13, as shown in Figure 5.

Preferably, the flange 12 is formed at its periphery with a depending cylindrical portion 18 which terminates at its lower edge in an outwardly flared rim 1). The

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2. cylindrical portion 18 is somewhat larger in diameter than the bottle bead 13 and serves to provide for the entrance of the top edge of the bottle into the cap preparatory to the application of. the cap to the bottle, whereby the cap becomes centered on the bottle priorto application.

The cap is applied. by an annular member, the lower edge of which engages. the flange 19 and, upon down ward axial movementrelativeto the. bottle top, the cap is moved downwardly and the fluted portion of the skirt simultaneously expanded and stretched about the bottle head 13. The skirt is held in this snug engagement by the unfluted skirt area 15 and the radial flange 12 which expands somewhat during application of the cap but which contracts and takes a set under the bottle head.

The cap is economically moulded from sheet plastic material in a multi-cavity die and after the discoidal top portions 16) have been printed, the caps are blanked from the sheet and arranged in nested form for shipping. The cap does not require any preheating, or any additional fastening means to maintain it securely aflixed to the bottle top.

What I claim is: V

1. A bottle cap of moulded plastic material for application to bottles having an external head at the top edge thereof, said cap comprising a central discoidal portion for overlying the bottle top, a conical bead encircling skirt depending from the periphery of said discoidal portion, said skirt terminating at its lower edge in an external radial flange, said skirt having a diameter less than the diameter of the bottle head, said skirt being formed with a multiplicity of circumferentially spaced apart axially extending flutes, said flutesterminating at their lower ends in upwardly spaced relation from said flange to provide an unfluted band at the lower portion of said skirt for engagement with the under side of the bottle bead.

2. A bottle cap formed of sheet moulded plastic material for application to bottles having an external head at the top edge thereof, said cap comprising a central discoidal portion for overlying the bottle top, a conical bead encircling skirt depending from the periphery of said discoidal portion, said skirt terminatingat its lower edge in an external radial flange, a cylindrical portion depending from the periphery of said flange and. terminating in an outwardly flaring radial rim, said skirt having a diameter substantially less than the diameter of said bottle head, said cylindrical portion being of substantially .the same diameter as the bottle bead, said skirt being formed with a multiplicity of circumferentially spaced axially extending flutes, said flutes terminating at their upper ends in downwardly spaced relation from said discoidal portion, and said flutes terminating at their lower ends in upwardly spaced relation from said flange to provide an unfluted band at the lower pOrtiOn of the skirt for engagement with the under side of the bottle bead.

3. A deformable bottle cap of plastic material for application to bottles having an external head at the top edge thereof, said cap comprising a central discoidal portion for overlying the bottle top, a conical bead encircling skirt diverging downwardly from the periphery of said discoidal portion, said skirt terminating at its lower edge in an outwardly extending flange, said skirt being formed with a multiplicity of circumferentially closely spaced axially extending flutes, said flutes terminating at their lower ends in upwardly spaced relation from said flange to provide an unfluted band at the lower portion of said skirt for engagement with the underside of the bottle head, the fluted portion of said skirt having a diameter less than the diameter of the bottle head.

4-. A deformable bottle cap formed of plastic material for application to bottles having an external bead at the top edge thereof, said cap comprising a central discoidal U portion for overlying the top of the bottle, a conical skirt diverging downwardly from the periphery of said discoida1 portion, said skirt terminating at its lower edge in an external radial flange, a cylindrical portion depending from the periphery of said flange and terminating in an outwardly flaring radial rim, said skirt being formed with a multiplicity of circumferentially closely spaced axially extending flutes, said flutes terminating at their upper ends in downwardly spaced relation from said discoidal portion, said flutes terminating at their lower ends in upwardly spaced relation from said flange to provide an uufluted band intermediate said flutes and said flange for engagement with the underside of the bottle bead, the cylindrical portion of said skirt being substantially the same diameter as the bottle bead.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,665,821 SCOfield Apr. 10, 1928 2,273,247 Barnby Feb. 17, 1942 2,325,309 De Swart July 27, 1943 2,604,223 Horning July 22, 1952 

